South Korean Army Caught Up In “Gay Blacklist” Scandal

Here is the latest scandal that the ROK military is responding to:

The South Korean military is currently accused of systematically tracking down homosexual soldiers.

According to the Military Human Rights Center for Korea (MHRCK), Jang Jun-kyu, Chief of Staff for the South Korean army, had ordered a probe to track down gay men in the military (not just the army). The MHRCK claims that Jang and the army’s central cyber investigation team conducted a secret nationwide investigation in February and March, monitoring soldiers through phone-tapping, monitoring gay-dating apps, and conducting one-on-one investigations.

According to the MHRCK, the army’s alleged attempt to establish a “gay blacklist,” as the scandal is being dubbed by some local media, began after a video surfaced online sometime earlier this year. In the video, which is no longer available to the public, a male soldier is having sexual intercourse with another male officer.  [Korea Expose]

You can read the rest at the link, but the MHRCK are now calling for the head of the ROK Army to resign for launching the probe:

South Korea’s army chief is facing calls to resign amid claims he ordered a nationwide probe to root out and prosecute gay personnel.

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article.  According to campaign group the Military Human Rights Center for Korea, General Jang Jun-kyu, army chief of staff, launched a “track-down process” that pinpointed about 50 soldiers, 20 of whom now face charges under military anti-homosexuality laws.  [Financial Times]

You can read the rest at the link, but if General Jang was enforcing ROK Army policy I don’t see any way he resigns.  If someone does not like the policy then campaign to get it changed instead of trying to get someone to resign who is enforcing it.